Chapter 513: At Lindel (4)
‘Did I come too soon?’
“Well, it doesn’t matter either way.”
I had anticipated that Lee Jihye would prompt herself to act faster, but it really wasn’t that big of a deal. Despite our lack of preparation, it wouldn’t be so bad to meet her because the current situation was at least somewhat within my control.
Since the army was a complex unit with multiple segments to think about, it was harder to control than a group of people who merely had to defend.
Just as my one-to-one formation with Kim Hyunsung was not easily made, the army had to go through a long and detailed process. Of course, I had to avoid causing too much damage to the human race.
The plan’s crux was for Kim Hyunsung to use up his stamina at the beginning of the battle and then for us to meet again at our promised spot for a touching reunion.
That was easy to say, yet hard to do.
As there were many unstable factors, I had to be extremely cautious. Even for me, I was worried that some parts of the plan were a bit of a reach.
However, as soon as I got closer and closer to Lindel, I became more and more reassured. The army’s composition, form, and placement were all meticulously planned.
With my mind’s eyes, all of those had become even more obvious to me.
‘Wow, as expected of Jihye.”
She matched the army perfectly towards the center of my direction.
“She knew what we were going to do. Really, it’s making me shiver.”
That level of foresight was expected from someone who maintained equal grounds with the top villain, which was the first masked trash. Jihye’s personality was highly similar to mine. We had created many “masterpieces” together, so her foresight was not surprising to me.
However, I was surprised that not all of our thoughts were the same. As she knew what I wanted, I also knew what she wanted.
We both dispatched and gathered people we thought were fit to die and made multiple plans to minimize our allies’ damage.
Places that needed to be met with strong forces were strengthened; places that needed to be passed through were left open as if they were free-passing doors. She even set up traps for demons that needed to be killed by us. It was basically a full-course feast as if to say:
‘I didn’t know what you wanted, so I just prepared everything.’
It was a type of situation in which she just handed a pair of chopsticks for me to go down on a mouth-watering meal. I could not stop smiling.
I was equally delighted with Kim Hyunsung’s position.
Kim Hyunsung’s position was probably decided on with much more deliberation.
It was obvious to me that Lee Jihye must have positioned Hyunsung there so that she could personally utilize him. However, without the Mind’s Eye, his effectiveness was pretty much useless, and there were probably a lot of restrictions to her commands.
It made me almost want to cry out in pleasure just to see how she thought Kim Hyunsung could lead her to where I was. It was at that moment I knew I didn’t have to worry.
‘All formations should be designed like this.’
Even I was surprised by the quality of her plans. It really made me anticipate her production.
My aching mind immediately began to feel at ease. Even though I only smiled for a fraction of a second, my new assistant Ronove still seemed to have noticed it, considering she immediately appeared in my view.
-External advisor.
“Yes, Ms. Ronove?”
-What are you planning to do? If you plan to maintain this front, will it not be better for you to speak up? If it is for a campaign…
“Ah, thank you, but that won’t be necessary. If it were like usual, I would have presented multiple negotiation cards, but we are dealing with beings that can not be persuaded with words.”
-As I thought… you would like to see it quickly.
‘Duh, I want to see it. You don’t know how much effort I put into it.’
“Yes, it is because this is such a momentous event. I also feel pressured to resolve a conflict that I worked so hard on properly. How could I ever dare to disappoint demons such as you, Ms. Ronove? It is my responsibility to produce favorable results so that all of you can go back to hell with an easy heart.”
-We are already very satisfied. External advisor, if I think about all the things you already did for us…
-“Ha. Ha, ha. Even if that is true, won’t it be better if I produce more favorable results? Please send my message to the other demons. I only have three requests: not to let an event such as the one with Mr. Donovan repeat itself, to pay attention to the summons and reverse-summons, and to fulfill the requests I made before.
-Ah, yes, I understand.
‘Woah, this is making me nervous…’
There were many things that I was happy about in my current situation, but I could not help but feel a little tense. I thought it must be the same feeling as when a game company released their new game and one watched the reception from their SNS account.
My heart was pounding.
The thought of having to “produce” the majority of the battle with Kim Hyunsung was making me breathless. We all had different reasons, but I was sure everyone involved shared the same emotions.
Likewise, the actors of the 27th Corps were nervous.
Even though we had already produced a sufficient number of results, it was a universal feeling to want a proper resolution.
It all felt like looking at the faces of actors that were anxiously waiting for their most important shoot.
‘Well, I guess they have it a bit better.’
The humans who would have to meet the 27th Corps directly would be filled with not only fear but total confusion.
I even noticed that some humans were turning blue with fear and shivering from head to toe. Some of them were clutching their swords with unfathomable determination, but I could also see that they were also feeling scared for their lives.
Just as I wondered when the battle would even begin, I heard a thundering voice from a distance.
“Prepare for Battle! Prepare for Battle!!!”
It was our very own Park Deokgu who was screaming his head off, with an awkward expression and with his hands banging on the shield.
“Prepare for Battle!!! Prepare for Battleeeee!!!”
[You have been affected by the Legendary-grade Combat Morale Shout. All stats will temporarily decrease significantly.]
‘Damn, that Park Deokgu!’
No older brother would possibly feel unhappy about a younger brother’s progress. I could not stop myself from smiling.
‘In that short time, you grew up a lot. I’m so proud of you, Park Deokgu, you pig bastard.’
Not only did he increase the morale of an army that was paralyzed by fear, but he also even gave them extra buffs.
It was not only Kim Hyunsung who had significantly grown. Park Deokgu, whose only usefulness came from being a meat shield, progressed to a state where he could even lead a group of top adventurers.
Furthermore, it was the same for the others. With my Mind’s Eye, I could see humanity itself improved significantly as a whole. The Blue Guild had obviously progressed a lot, but the same could be said for nameless mid-class clans and the empire’s soldiers.
Moreover, there was probably a lot of progress in their mental states as well.
Jung Hayan no longer caused so much commotion in the union, and Elena, who had been soft-hearted from the very beginning, became firmer and hard-hearted.
Cha Hee-ra, whom I thought only knew how to cause havoc, learned how to think more rationally. Yuno Kasugano, who was overly dependent, started to show glimmers of independence.
Even though they lacked aspects compared to the end of their 1st timeline, the current humanity was strong enough to defend against the 27th Demon Corps properly.
With a cunning smile, I raised my hands. It was at that moment that the army which was receiving the Combat Morale Shout became quiet.
The demon troops began moving.
In their way, they raised their soldiers’ morale as they began to approach Lindel quickly. The sound of their exploding cries began to be heard as they neared their destination.
“Insect-like bastards.”
The sound of their deafening cries collided with the walls in front of them.
-Fighttttttttttttttt!!!!
-Crashhhhh!!
‘Hmmm, I wonder how long they can last.’.’
The walls of Lindel were weak. It was not like Castle Rock. It was situated in the middle of the empire, and Lindel’s native monsters also weren’t that big.
With the tutorial dungeon’s implementation, Lindel had long since expanded to create space for many adventurers and citizens. Still, it did so by sacrificing some of its’ defensive capabilities.
With the Union’s help pouring its’ magic on the walls, it might last for a bit, but Lindel was not suitable for battle in the first place.
-Put more magic on the walls! We have to last as long as possible! It must not be broken!
-Those insect-like humans sure are getting cocky. No hero can withstand the blows of my mighty ax. Hah! I, the great Ballitos, will turn all of you into mincemeat!
-Send troops to the west side quickly! We must not let our walls break!
-Ahhhhhhhhh!
-Crashhhhhhhhh!!
-Goddess Benignore will be fighting with us. The Light Swordsman is with us.
‘They are working so hard right from the beginning… Wow…’
The Union themselves probably thought they wouldn’t be able to maintain the walls until the end of the battle. No leader in the world could possibly be able to achieve that feat.
The Union would probably give up on the walls at a suitable time or break it when it became advantageous for them. In short, everyone was trying to gain an advantage.
It was an unrelenting, massive battle for power. That was why the ongoing battle was so important.
Before the main finale began, it was a fight to see how much they could decrease the opponent’s army.
The battle was not important enough to sacrifice everything, but it was important enough to fight with relentless determination.
As if to show that resolve, the battlefield was in complete disarray.
There was endless pushing, endless desperation to tear apart one another. It was as if I was in hell. And, as that went on…
‘Woah, over there… They’re working so hard it’s making me shiver.’
Even from a distance, I could see that the female demons and adventurers were fighting harder than anyone else.
-Goddess Benignore, let these dirty demons be obliterated!!!
-Humans that don’t know their place! The knowledge you have is not everything there is to know about the world. You are merely foolish creatures!!
-Die, demons! It’s so shameful for us to even share the same sky! We will never forgive you! We will always keep in mind that light and justice still exist, and we have to show that to these demons!! Goddess Elune! Please give us the strength to erase their existence!!!
-The ones who should be extinguished from this land are you bitches! Don’t be pushed back!! Army of Darkness!!
-DIE! DIE!
-AHHHHHHHHHH!!!
-Fire your magic! Quickly! Use as much holy magic to burn them alive!! Treat light injuries with potions!!
‘Ladies, you should at least treat your injuries…’
-Give up on reverse-summons, Troops of Darkness!!! Even if your body crumbles, fight as if this is your last!!!
‘If you don’t reverse-summon, you’re gonna die…’
I didn’t know why they were fighting so hard; that wasn’t even within my plans. However, with the way things were going on, they were good enough to become the main part of the battle.
It seemed as if there was a priestess who even had a unique class since every time she said obliterate, a bright light flashed from her.
I was curious about what kind of class it was, but I was more preoccupied with finding the high demons’ locations on the battlefield.
Ballitos, Limur, and some other top figures were causing havoc across the war grounds. The magicians were desperately fighting off Limur’s massive attacks.
Ballitos, who loved human meat, was wielding his massive cleaver, and the other commanders were likewise using their high-level skills to cause immense damage on the battlefield.
At that point, it was obvious who was going to make his entrance.
A lone swordsman walked towards the fray, carrying his sword.
‘Hyunsung…’
There was Kim Hyunsung, who must have worked his body to the limits.
‘I must make sure he uses up a lot of stamina first.’
I needed to make sure he used up at least half of his stamina and magic so that, even with the weak body of mine, I would be able to stand up to him.
‘Wow, you are working really hard. Go Hyunsung! Go! Yeah, you can do it! Just like that!’